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To cite this article: Mark R. Thompson (2008): Philippine Politics and Governance, Philippine Political Science Journal, 29:52,
117-124
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Review Essay
Philippine PPolitics
olitics and Governance
had its drawbacks (particularly in a country noted for its local “bossism”),
but its innovative aspects are also, rightly in my opinion, stressed by Atienza.
A quick glance to southern Thailand suggests that the Philippines has come
“a long way” in resolving the conflict with its Muslim minority in the South
(though at the same time it has failed to establish an autonomous region in
the Cordillera). Ferrer stresses how problems of patronage and the
dominance of political clans plague regional autonomy in Mindano, but
despite (or perhaps because of?) these limitations it seems to have
contributed to the reduction of conflict in the region.
supplant, the old “class politics” of violent guerrilla struggle against the
state. It would have been helpful if this highly informative discussion of the
rise and fragmentation of the left were more closely related to the character
of democratic development of the Philippines discussed in the introduction.
The next three chapters (about the Catholic church, Islamic nationalism,
and indigenous peoples) analyze the roles of other key civil societal actors.
Ma. Lourdes G. Genato Rebullida’s chapter on the majority religion in the
Philippines focuses on the political role of the Catholic church in a democratic
context. A helpful historical section points out that the Church maintained
its central role in Filipino society despite nationalist antagonism to the Spanish
Catholism, and in particular to the Friars. It is then shown how Catholic
church-linked actors (as well as those of other Christian denominations)
have been involved in advocacy of democracy and development since then,
particularly in alliance with other civil society groups against the Marcos
dictatorship and afterwards. I found this overview somewhat uncritical at
points, however. The church’s role in blocking population control measures
and its often regressive stance on gender issues were two issues in particular
that found no critical discussion, raising the question whether the Church
has been a major obstacle in the country’s development.
“Women and Politics” is the focus of the next chapter by Maria Ela L.
Atienza and Ruth Lusterio Rico. The chapter begins by providing a useful
overview about women’s status in the Philippines (put in its comparative
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Mark R. Thompson
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg